


Return of the Treacherous

by httydfangirl123



Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies)
Genre: Episode continuation, F/M, Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, Pain, RTTE season 5, Return of Thor Bonecrusher, Torture, Whump, hiccup!whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-07
Updated: 2018-08-13
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:08:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 15,768
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24578080
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/httydfangirl123/pseuds/httydfangirl123
Summary: The past few days had been full of unexpected events, what with Alvin being kidnapped by bandits, anti-hero Thor Bonecrusher and problems with hypnosis… But no one had expected THIS. Just when the drama seemed to be over, another problem arises, and it seems there was more to Alvin's kidnapping that met the eye...
Relationships: Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III/Astrid Hofferson
Kudos: 16





	1. Chapter 1

Hiccup sighed, shaking his head and smiling as he watched Fishlegs, Snotlout and the twins have a group hug. _At least that problem's out of the way_ , he thought to himself. Then his eyes fell on Astrid, who was sitting on a wooden crate next to the sleeping Toothless. Hiccup saw the puzzled expression on her face and walked over.

"What's up?" He asked once he was standing next to his girlfriend.

"Well," Astrid started, looking down at the floor, then back up at her betrothed. "The question still remains, Hiccup: what did the dragon hunters want with these fish?" She gestured to the wagon full of Ice Tail Pike, then looked back up at Hiccup expectantly. Hiccup looked at the fish, frowned in thought, but didn't reply.

~~~

Jarg walked behind Krogan nervously, staying over a foot behind his leader.  
"S-so you see Krogan, sir, it was impossible to see what was coming." He stuttered, watching as Krogan pushed back the curtain to the tent and walked in, stopping to turn around and face him.

"Impossible you say?" Krogan paused, holding the man's shoulder and looking towards his co-leader. "And what say you?" Jarg looked up slightly to see who his leader was talking to, then jumped. Viggo, the Viggo everything thought had died while falling into a volcano, was standing over his desk while looking over a map.

"There'll be a setback. The Ice Tail Pike are essential to our training program. Unlike this gentleman here." At this, Viggo looked up and glared at Jarg, who gasped at the sight of his scarred face. He glanced over to Krogan, who only raised an eyebrow in amusement. "Did you even manage to set plan B into motion?" Jarg looked from Viggo to Krogan, then opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out. Krogan punched him in the stomach.

"Viggo asked you a question!" He barked, watching as the man stumbled.

"O-of course, sir!" He stammered, saluting. Viggo nodded sharply, then looked at Krogan.

"Failures have no place in my army. The bar must remain at its highest. I'd throw him down a Whispering Death hole. But that's just me." He folded his arms, turned to the side of the tent and watched smugly as Jarg gasped at his words and started to breathe heavier.

"Relax, Jarg. There will be no Whispering Death hole for you. If I did that, I wouldn't get to see you suffer. Then that would take the fun out of it." Krogan walked over to Viggo's desk, then turned to smirk at Jarg before clapping his hands to summon two of his soldiers.

"B-but we didn't fail! Plan B is in motion as we speak!" He shouted in protest as he was dragged out of the tent. Krogan watched him leave, then turned to Viggo, who was clearly thinking.

"Do you really think your genius plan B will work?" Krogan questioned, arms folded as he edged closer to the man in an attempt to appear threatening. Viggo chuckled darkly.

"Your distrust in me is heartwarming, Krogan, really it is, but you mustn't panic. I've faced those teenagers many more times than you have, let me deal with it and come back to me once I have him in my grasp." At this, he turned his back to Krogan, in an oh-so-subtle hint that it was time for him to leave. Krogan huffed, unappreciative of Viggo's style of cooperation, but reluctantly left anyway. Watching Krogan leave out of the corner of his eye, Viggo chuckled darkly again, then went back to the thought process that Krogan had so rudely interrupted, a sinister plan fitting together piece by piece, one that he was certain wouldn't fail. Not this time.

~~~

Hiccup looked outside at the quickly darkening sky that shrouded the jagged rocks that decorated Outcast Island. He heard heavy footsteps approaching from behind, followed by a very familiar gruff voice.

"Well? Are ya gonna take me offer? Or are ya gonna leave without givin' me the chance to make it up to ya?" Alvin asked, raising an eyebrow when he didn't get a reply. "Is it that hard to make up ya mind?"

"It's not that I'm thinking about. We'll take your offer and spend the night here, just like you asked. It's just... I can't seem to figure out what the Dragon Hunters were planning with the fish and your kidnapping. It all seems... odd, and mysterious. What do you think?" On hearing nothing but silence from the Outcast chief, Hiccup turned around to face him.

"What?" Hiccup questioned, taken aback by the anxious expression on Alvin's face.

"Can I have word with ya, 'Iccup? Maybe we could take a walk down towards the docks, so we can talk in private?" Alvin suggested. Hiccup looked at his unreadable expression, not sure what to make of it.

"Why can't we just talk here? There's barely anyone around," Hiccup pointed out, confused.

"There's not enough privacy 'ere. What I want to tell ya is top secret, and I can't afford other villagers hearin' it." Hiccup furrowed his forehead, the little red flag going up in his head. "It'll only be for five minutes or so, promise."

"Alright, what do you want to tell me?" Hiccup asked, reluctantly pushing aside his worries as he walked alongside the Outcast on the way to the docks.

"It's about those bandits and the Dragon Hunters. I think I have some information that may help ya find out what they really want." At the mention of the Dragon Hunters, Hiccup looked up at Alvin in curiosity, but Alvin was looking out to sea. "The bandits made some... threats. They may give us a clue."

"What kind of threats?" Hiccup asked, subconsciously rubbing his chin with his hand in thought.

"I don't fully understand 'em myself," Alvin commented, stopping to stand on the edge of the cliff, looking over the docks that lay below them. "Maybe you'd understand 'em better than I did. Something about a... training program?" Hiccup had walked up to the edge of the cliff and now stood next to Alvin, deep in thought. _Training program? Dragon Hunter training? Dragon training? What kind of dragon eats all that fish?_ His mind whirred, relentlessly thinking of a solution based on this new information. He didn't notice how Alvin had left his side and was now making his way behind him.

"I'm sorry, 'Iccup. I really don't 'ave a choice," Alvin muttered once he was right behind the scrawny Viking.

"What was that Alv-" A burly fist collided with the side of his head, cutting him short. He saw the rocky ground below him come closer and closer, before everything turned black.

~~~

Astrid sat on the doorstep of her temporary hut, watching the other Riders say their goodnights to their dragons and leave to their respective huts. Everything was calm and peaceful. Except...

She hadn't seen Hiccup go to his hut yet. _Where is he? And where's Toothless?_ She decided to check his hut in case he'd snuck in without her noticing. _By the gods, if he deliberately avoided me, he's got another thing coming!_ She opened the door slowly, peering into the darkness.

"Toothless? Hiccup?" She whispered, wondering if Hiccup had already fallen asleep. She heard a purr, followed by a pattering of paws. A few seconds later, two big green eyes appeared in front of her, gazing at her expectantly. Toothless pushed past her, glancing outside as if expecting Astrid to be bringing Hiccup to bed. Upon only seeing Stormfly, the dragon sighed slightly before purring at Astrid, who was watching him with curiosity.

"You don't know where he is either, do you?" Astrid said, looking into Toothless' brilliant green eyes that largely resembled Hiccup's. Toothless gave another sad purr in response. _Should we go look for him? No harm done in looking for him. But... he's probably thinking about the Dragon Hunters and wants to be alone. But then again, what if something has happened... He always manages to get himself into trouble. What's the likelihood of that though? We're allies with the Outcasts... Everything should be fine... right? I'll wait until morning to go and find him._ She looked back at the dragon.

"Don't worry, he's probably thinking up a genius plan to sort out these Dragon Hunters and will be back in the morning. If he's not here by then, we'll go looking for him." Astrid said soothingly, resting her hand on his snout. "I'm going back to my hut, see you in the morning." Astrid patted the dragon before walking out the door towards her own hut, smiling at the sound of Toothless lighting his rock slab and curling up. She opened the door to her own temporary hut, whistling to Stormfly to go to sleep and then looked out over the moonlit sea and whispered as if she was talking to him.

_Be safe, Hiccup._

~~~

In, out, in, out, in, out. He was being dragged in and out of the inky blackness and he hated it. The slow feeling of coming back around was a terrible one. Then the pain hit, a pounding pain in the side of his head. His eyelids felt heavy and it took all his effort to force them open. A moan escaped his lips as he tried to focus on his surroundings. He felt the hard wooden floorboards beneath his head and motioned to sit up, only to realise his hands were tied in front of him. He blinked. _Great, I've gone and got myself kidnapped. Again._ He tried to remember how he got into this mess, but his brain was foggy and uncooperative. Staring at the ceiling, he focussed on the rocking of the boat while trying to gather enough energy to pull himself up.

 _Wait... rocking of the boat... What in the name of Thor is going on?_ His body went rigid as he heard the wooden deck above him creaking and footsteps coming down the stairs. Out of instinct, his legs flailed as he tried to get a grip on the ground and push himself as far away from the stairs as possible. _No, Hiccup. Don't show him your fear. Whoever he is..._ He grunted, struggling to sit up as the figure of his captor revealed itself.

"Alvin?!" Was the first thing he shouted when he saw him. "Wha- Why? How?" His mind whirred, unable to apprehend what he was seeing. "I thought we were allies, Alvin. Allies. Where did all that go? Three years we've been at peace, and now you decide to throw it all away again by kidnapping me? While I took your offer to stay the night so you could make it up to us. We've just rescued you from your own kidnapping, so you decide to return the favour, huh?" He shouted. Alvin blinked, face going from emotionless to sorrowful to almost frightened.

"I didn't have a choice," He muttered, just loud enough for him to hear.

"Oh, so now you're playing the victim? You think I like sitting here tied up? No. You know what, I've had enough of this." Hiccup shouted in reply, scrambling to his feet, grabbing Inferno from its sheath with his tied hands and charging towards the unprepared Alvin. He struck down, aiming for his head, though Alvin dodged, pulling his own axe out of its holster and blocking every blow. Suddenly, Alvin swung his axe, hitting Inferno and sending it flying clean out of Hiccup's hands. He picked it up, throwing it out of the hatch and onto the deck. Hiccup ran at Alvin, fists clenched ready to attack, but Alvin grabbed the rope that bound his wrists and snapped it. Hiccup blinked, not knowing what to think, but before he could react, Alvin pulled both this arms behind him and re-tied his wrists. Hiccup felt Alvin's hand push him to the ground and looked up to see him tie his legs together at the knees.

"Why are you doing this?" Hiccup shouted, exasperated as he watched Alvin pull a wad of fabric out of his pocket.

"I don't want to do this, but I have no choice," Alvin replied quietly, before his fist collided with the side of Hiccup's head once again, sending Hiccup tumbling into the inky blackness of unconsciousness again.


	2. Chapter 2

The pain. Ugh, the pain.

His head pounded, twice as painful as it had been previously. His wrists ached, his mouth felt unbelievably and painfully dry, all he could taste was the wad of dirty fabric in his mouth, his stomach felt like it was doing somersaults and he felt overall groggy as his consciousness slowly made a reappearance. His eyes fluttered open and he strained to focus on his surroundings. Only he couldn't. Everything was black, pitch black, and he felt the strange sensation of pressure on his eyes. A blindfold. _Great. Where am I? Why is the floor swaying? Why… why does everything hurt?_ He groaned, turning over on the wooden floorboards he rested on. Dizziness took over as he desperately held onto the consciousness that was slipping out of his grip. _Breathe in, breathe out. Stay. Awake. Stay. Awake. Stay…_ His eyes closed out of his control.

~~~

Astrid's eyes fluttered open, sun streaming in through the window and right onto her face. She yawned, forcing herself to sit up and swing her legs out of bed. Stormfly squawked to greet her.

"Good morning, girl," She patted her dragon, smiling as she nuzzled Astrid with her scaly hide. "I'm going to look for Hiccup," She gave her dragon a final pat, earning a squawk in reply as the rider jogged out of the temporary hut and out into the street, which buzzed with Outcasts and dragon riders alike.

"Hey, Astrid!" She heard Fishlegs call as she turned the corner and grabbed the doorknob of the temporary hut assigned to her boyfriend. "Have you seen Hiccup?" She turned to see the teenager run over to her, though not as anxious as she had anticipated.

"I was just going to check on him myself," Astrid replied, forcing a smile as she pushed the door open. Toothless immediately bounded towards her with big, panicked eyes, glancing between the two riders. Astrid gasped, instantly getting the message. Hiccup hadn't returned last night.

"Oh Thor, oh Thor, oh Thor," She whispered, breaths quickening. "I should never have waited until now. I should have gone looking for him as soon as he was missing. Oh Thor, what kind of trouble has he gotten himself into this time?" She whipped around, about to run out of the door in search of her boyfriend, when Fishlegs' slightly plump hands rested on her shoulders. Astrid looked up at him in surprise.

"Astrid, calm down. Panicking isn't going to help us right now. We'll get Hiccup back, I promise, just try to stay calm, ok?" Fishlegs told her, though his eyes betrayed the panic he felt himself. Astrid stopped for a moment, as if considering what he was saying, then ripped her shoulders out of his grip aggressively.

"How do you know he's going to be fine, though? And why are you so calm about this? That's not like you!" Astrid snapped, almost shouting. She hardly noticed the other riders joining the discussion behind Fishlegs. The Gronckle rider sighed, arms falling to his side.

"I don't know for certain. But you also don't know for certain that he's not ok. What I do know is that if we don't think clearly, the time it's going to take to find him is going to increase considerably. And I'm not calm, ok, I'm panicking on the inside as well. But he's Hiccup. How many times has he escaped from trouble unscathed?" Fishlegs looked up at her, his hands trembling and his eyes full of concern. Astrid sighed.

"You're right. Come on, guys, let's scan the village from the backs of our dragons. Look for signs of a struggle, Alvin, Hiccup, anything! Send up a signal if you find anything," She shouted to the rest of the group while mounting Toothless. Without a word, the rest jumped on their dragons and took off. "Stormfly, follow and search," She called to her dragon as Toothless ran out of the door and took off.

~~~

"Nothing? Seriously? We've found nothing?" Astrid demanded, exasperated as the riders gathered in the middle of the Outcast village half an hour later. "Did any of you see Alvin?" The other riders exchanged glances, then shook their heads.

"No Alvin, no Hiccup... Am I the only one who thinks this is weird, people?" Tuffnut commented, raising his arm to call for a show of hands. He glanced around at the others, all them having raised their hands except Astrid, who appeared to be deep in thought. "Um... A? Care to answer our vote?"

"We'll ask around, anyone who will talk to us. There has to be someone who saw something last night." Astrid thought aloud, apparently not having heard Tuffnut at all. "Let's go," She barked, and with that, she flew off again on Toothless, Stormfly obediently following. The other riders exchanged glances again.

"Uh... what's up with her?" Ruffnut questioned, leaning against Barf's horns as if she had no plan on helping out on the search. Snotlout sighed, exasperated.

"Uh, duh! Astrid's boyfriend is missing! So she won't listen to anyone until she's found him!" Snotlout shouted, reluctantly signalling for Hookfang to take off. Silence fell as the twins stared after him.

"Wait... Astrid has a boyfriend? Who? Why wouldn't she tell us?" Tuff called after Snotlout, only to look at Ruffnut when he didn't get a response. Ruffnut shrugged, and they both looked at Fishlegs questioningly, who looked as exasperated as Astrid has seconds before.

"Guys, we're looking for Hiccup, now get a move on!" He too took off on Meatlug, leaving the twins to shrug and follow the search party.

~~~

"Sorry madam, can I ask you something? Have you seen Hiccup or Alvin?" Astrid ran in front of a woman carrying a basket of bread into her house. The lady shook her head and walked on, causing Astrid to sigh and mount Toothless again, who gave a sad purr.

"We'll find him, Toothless, don't you worry," She said, giving the dragon a pat on the had, though she wasn't sure if she was telling him or herself. They had been asking around for hours now, and it was getting them nowhere. Alvin and Hiccup seemed to have just... disappeared! Into thin air! How? She turned around to see the others, all sitting on their dragons watching something. She signalled for Toothless to approach the situation, curious. She soon saw what it was. The twins had opted for a rather... unusual form of 'asking around' which was a lot more like an interrogation than anything else.

"Where have you taken Hiccup? And where is your treacherous chief?" Ruffnut shouted, snatching Tuffnut's axe out of his hands and holding it up against the man's throat. Their victim trembled, holding his hands up in defence as they pressed his back up against the house behind him.

"I-I saw a b-b-boat leaving the docks at around m-midnight, Outcast crest and all. I d-don't know where Hiccup is, or whether either was on the boat. Ho-onest!" The man stuttered, shooting a desperate glance at the audience of dragon riders.

"Alright guys, you've done enough," Astrid said, walking up to the twins and grabbing the axe. "Thank you, sir, I apologise for the behaviour of my fellow dragon riders. They promise never to terrorise you again." She turned to the man, patting him on the shoulder comfortingly while side-eyeing the twins, who just looked back at her blankly.

"Not even a thank you? Come on, we really helped the 'asking around' and all we get is a side-eye?" Ruffnut whined once back on the back of her dragon.

"'Asking around' doesn't mean interrogating and terrorising the innocent inhabitants of the village," Fishlegs spoke up for Astrid, who had her face screwed-up from trying to suppress her worry and anger. Tuffnut opened his mouth to talk back, only to have Snotlout's palm slam into his face and muffle his speech. All fell silent as the riders waited for Astrid's next command.

"We'll search the ocean, any place that a ship could reach within 12 hours. Snotlout and Hookfang, you search east. Ruff, Tuff, you and your dragon search west. Fishlegs and Meatlug, you'll go south and I'll go north. Meet back here at midday, whether you find something or not. Send a terror mail if you find something earlier. Got it?" Astrid said after another few seconds. The others, all serious and determined, nodded. "Ok, see you at noon," And with that, all the riders and dragons took off. Astrid patted Toothless' head comfortingly, glancing up at Stormfly who was shadowing them.

_We're coming for you babe, just hold on a little longer._

~~~

Voices.  
Lots of voices. Murmuring thick accents woke him up, alerting him once again to the discomfort he was in. Admittedly, he felt a lot better than the last time he'd been conscious, though he still felt utterly helpless. _How am I going to get out of here?_ Was the first thing he thought when the throbbing in his head reduced enough so he could think clearly. It did seem utterly hopeless for the time being. He couldn't even see where he was, let alone escape in one piece. He sighed, then froze when he heard a familiar voice.

"Is he awake?" The clear, British voice spoke in the midst of the thick accents. Footsteps approached, followed by the clicking of a key in a lock and the squeaking of a metal door. _Key and lock? Metal door? I'm not on Alvin's ship anymore... I'm in a cell..._ He was startled out of his thoughts when he received a kick to the stomach. A grunt escaped his lips as the air left his lungs and he brought his legs up to his chest. _Breathe in, breathe out._ A dark chuckle echoed in the room. "Apparently so," The voice spoke again.

"Should we knock him out again, sir?" A Dragon Hunter voice asked. _Wait... Dragon Hunter? No, no, no... Who is their leader?_ Dread filled him as adrenaline started to pump into his veins, only to get cut short when a sharp knock on the head sent him falling into unconsciousness again.


	3. Chapter 3

Astrid scanned the water and the horizon, searching for any signs of a boat, Hiccup or Alvin.

"Come on, they have to be somewhere," Astrid muttered. "Do it again, Toothless," She patted the dragon, who promptly let out his purple sonar. The noise echoed through the air as Toothless' ears twitched. "Got anything?" She asked, but got no response. "Toothless, I-" She stopped, seeing the Night Fury looking underneath them. Leaning to the side, she glanced under the dragon's body. Below them bobbed an Outcast boat, heading south. "How did we miss _that_?" Toothless purred, then darted down, causing Astrid to yelp and grip the saddle as they plummeted towards the boat. The thud of claws on wood announced their landing, though once she'd looked around, she found the ship almost empty. Then she heard footsteps coming from below deck, followed by the sound of both dragons growling as Toothless' ears went flat on his head. Out of instinct, she wielded her axe as the figure revealed himself.

Alvin.

The Outcast looked at the two in surprise, before regaining his confident posture.

"'Ello Astrid, fancy seein' you 'ere! Welcome aboard, though I think travellin' by dragon is quicker." He said, as usual. Astrid, unfazed by the chief, jumped off Toothless and signalled for him to stand guard and for Stormfly to search the ship.

"Do you know where Hiccup is?" Astrid snapped, turning back to Alvin. Silence ensued, as the man tried to figure out how to answer. "Do you know where Hiccup is?" She repeated, emphasising each word and brandishing her weapon. She heard Toothless snarl behind her as she took a step closer in an attempt to be intimidating.

"Uh... no, I don't know where he is. Why? Has 'e gone missin'?" Alvin replied, wearing an obviously fake innocent face. At that moment, Stormfly ran up the group, dropping a certain sword in front of Astrid. Inferno. She gasped; her suspicion had been correct.

"Let me rephrase that so your _incoherent mind_ can understand. _Where is Hiccup?_ " She growled back at the Outcast. This traitor had kidnapped Hiccup. After years of peace and helping him escape his own kidnapping, he goes and kidnaps Hiccup. The backstabbing, filthy, half-troll... It was all Astrid could do to stop herself running the man through right then and there.

"I don't know," Alvin repeated, though sounding a little less sure of himself. Astrid growled again.

"Then why, may I ask, is Hiccup's flaming sword on your deck?" Astrid breathed, almost heaving with anger. Alvin looked back at her blankly.

"Eh... I-I don't...," He muttered again. Astrid laughed. Laughed out of anger.

"You are a _terrible liar_ ," She muttered. Her face went a brilliant shade of red before she let out a battle cry, running towards the Outcast chief and kicking him in the chest. He staggered backwards, but quickly regained his balance just in time to feel Astrid's axe skimming his arm just enough to draw blood and leave a long gash. He cried out in pain, having been completely unprepared for the attack. Astrid came at the man again, dealing punch after punch to the chest until she heard a satisfying crack. By now, Alvin was lying on the deck as he cradled his broken ribs.

"I will repeat this one more time before I send you to Valhalla myself," Astrid muttered, anger dripping from every letter of her words. "Where. Is. Hiccup?"

"I... don't... know," Alvin croaked between pained breaths. Astrid roared in anger again, raising her axe above his neck, when Toothless' tail collided with his head, knocking him unconscious. The Night Fury gazed up at her with sad eyes, protecting the Outcast chief with his body. Astrid glared at him in anger for a moment, then her eyes widened and she looked around them. The calm sea, the clear blue sky, the wooden ship, Stormfly looking at her in surprise. And Alvin, face contorted with pain even in his unconscious state. Guilt flooded her as she opened her mouth to speak, only nothing came out. Toothless purred, drawing her attention to him again. The dragon nudged Alvin's head with his paw, then gestured to his back.

"You're right, Toothless," Astrid sighed, getting on Toothless' back. "Stormfly, carry that traitor back to the Edge with us, please girl." The worried Nadder obliged, picking Alvin up in her claws as they took off to Dragon's Edge. Astrid reached into Toothless' saddle back and brought out Sharpshot, the loyal Terrible Terror that Hiccup took with him wherever he went. She scribbled a note to the others, saying to meet her at the Edge as soon as possible. Grabbing a piece of twine, she tied the message to the dragon's leg and released him in the direction of Outcast Island. She watched him fly off, then sighed again.

_Where are you Hiccup? I need you..._

~~~

Hours later, the two dragons landed outside the Clubhouse. Stormfly dropped Alvin and guarded him, while Toothless gently walked into the building, careful not to wake his sleeping rider. Astrid had fallen asleep hours ago, having been completely exhausted by her rampage back on Alvin's ship. Midday was long gone, the others had received the Terror mail a while back and were on their way here. It was a long journey, though, so Toothless decided to let Astrid rest on his back until the others returned.

"Hm? Where are we?" Astrid mumbled. Well, so much for letting her sleep. Toothless purred, alerting Astrid to his presence. "Oh, we're here already, thanks Toothless." She swung her legs over the Night Fury's body and ambled into the Clubhouse. "How long have I been out?" Toothless danced around in a circle like a clock hand, then looked at her again.  
"Twelve hours?" Astrid exclaimed, then looked up at the dark sky. "Eh, that actually seems about right," She then chuckled. "I guess I really exhausted myself with that fight..." She trailed off, her face falling as she looked at Alvin, who Stormfly had dropped rather roughly just outside the door of the Clubhouse. He looked a bit more peaceful than he did when they left, though he still looked worse for wear.

"We'll have to do something about him," Astrid muttered under her breath. "Stormfly, could you get me some rope, girl? The Nadder squawked and ran off obediently, then returned seconds later and placed it in her hands. She and Toothless rolled the large man over onto his stomach to tie his hands, and Astrid was ambivalent: turn him over roughly for a little taste of revenge or gently because... that's what Hiccup would do. At the thought of Hiccup, she sighed, tying the ropes just taut enough to make sure that the muscular man wouldn't be able to escape. Hiccup... she had to admit, she felt a bit lost without him. He was her voice of reason, a caring friend and... an amazing boyfriend.

"Uh... Astrid?" She heard Fishlegs' voice and she looked up to see all the other riders looking at her, clearly confused. "What's going on? Why is Alvin, um...?"

"I found him sailing south back to Outcast Island. He kidnapped Hiccup!" Astrid snapped, anger filling her once again at the thought.

"What?! Why?" The others gasped, Fishlegs speaking in a shaken voice. Astrid snorted.

"Beats me. This ungrateful traitor just decided to throw away all the years of peace." She placed a foot on Alvin's back.

"How do you even know he has Hiccup?" Snotlout asked from the back of Hookfang.

"Hiccup's sword was on deck. Stormfly found it," Astrid answered.

"Are you sure it was Hiccup's sword? Have you brought it with you?" Fishlegs asked, tapping his fingers together nervously. Astrid paused.

"Er... no, I left it on the ship. I got pretty angry at Alvin," She rolled the Outcast chief over to reveal his injuries. Gasps rippled through the riders. "I know, I shouldn't have done it, but-" Astrid started, only to be interrupted by Snotlout.

"Astrid, what's Toothless doing?" All eyes turned to the Night Fury, who was lying down in the Clubhouse, staring sadly at a sword.

"Hiccup's sword!" Astrid exclaimed. At the mention of his rider, Toothless' ears perked up and he trotted over to the group, Inferno in his mouth. He dropped the sword in front of Astrid. "Thank you Toothless. This is his sword, right Fishlegs? You made it with him," Astrid brought the sword to the Gronckle and rider and waited in anticipation as Fishlegs studied it. She honestly didn't know what she wanted the outcome to be...

"Yup, this is his. Definitely." Fishlegs said confidently. Astrid marched over to the tied up chief.

"I knew it," She muttered, then heard Fishlegs whimpering. "What is it, Fishlegs?" She turned to the blonde teenager.

"This is an act of war, Astrid." He said, quietly.

"What is?"

"Holding Alvin captive. If his tribe finds out, Berk will be at war with the Outcasts," All mouths dropped open in realisation, except Astrid's.

"It's for Hiccup, Fishlegs. And kidnapping Berk's heir is also an act of war, so I'd say we're even," Astrid snapped, stalking off towards her hut.

"Wait! Let's all join in questioning him. The quicker we find Hiccup, the better. And the quicker we let Alvin go, the less chance there is of war. So it's a win, win." Fishlegs shouted after her. Astrid stopped, thinking this proposition over.

"Fishlegs is right," Snotlout spoke up.

"What? Since when did you care?" Exclaimed Tuffnut, only to have Ruffnut's palm slam over his mouth.

"Alright, let's go," Astrid said, before walking off in the direction of the stables. The other riders glanced at each other, but followed, Hookfang dragging Alvin along with them.

~~~

His eyes flew open as his stomach met a shoulder, taking the air out of his lungs. He wheezed, trying getting his breath back before he started to struggle, kicking the man who had roughly slung him over his shoulder and was currently walking out of his cell.

"Stop it," The man grunted, slapping him. Of course, Hiccup, being Hiccup, didn't stop. Stabbing his prosthetic leg into the Dragon Hunter's back, he attempted to headbutt the man, though he only managed in causing imbalance. He toppled out of the Hunter's grip, somersaulting before landing flat on his back on the wooden floorboards below him. Hiccup grunted on impact, feeling his nausea return. _Well done, Hiccup. Well done._

"That ain't gonna get ya anywhere," Came the Hunter's voice again. Hiccup lay still as he was picked up and slung over his shoulder again. He sighed, realising that he was right. He listened as the sound of the waves got louder and he felt himself ascending upstairs. A burst of sound hit his ears as he was carried onto the deck (he assumed) and all he heard was gruff voices as he his carrier continued walking. The sound of the water suddenly got quieter and he heard a door slam, followed by the familiar voice.

"Put him in that cell over there. We'll deal with him in the morning," And with that, he was thrown onto the ground, and all he could do was listen as the cell locked and the voices got quieter and quieter.

Until he was left to the sound of his own breathing.


	4. Chapter 4

_Can I have a word with ya, 'Iccup?  
What was that Alv-?  
I didn't have a choice._

Ropes.

_Why are you doing this?  
Ooh, a package for me! Hehe  
He's not yours. I brought him 'ere!_

Familiar voices.

_He'll be useful, though... very useful.  
Which is why I assured that he wouldn't escape.  
Haha, look at him. Tied up like an animal. He really does look like a kid..._

He grunted, head shaking from side to side as if it would help him escape.

_We can beat some information out of him, don't you think?  
I like the sound of that... when can we start?  
I won't tell you anything.  
We'll have to be a bit more violent, then, won't we?_

Pain.

_We'll deal with him in the morning.  
That's something to look forward to, haha...  
Just lock him in a cell and get back to work!_

Prisoner.

_We need to save him._  
Where is he?  
HICCUP! 

It was Astrid's shout that woke him, jolting him out of his sweaty nightmare. His eyes flew open and he looked around hopefully, only to realise that he was still in the cell, still tied up, gagged and blindfolded and there was no hope for him just yet. He sighed, closing his eyes and trying to lull himself to sleep again. _Astrid..._

~~~

The gang half walked, half dragged themselves out of the stables in into the light of the sunrise.

"That Alvin... more stubborn than he looks. Even if Astrid did already beat the heck out of him yesterday..." Tuffnut mumbled, eyelids falling before he and Ruff collapsed just outside the Clubhouse. The rest ambled on while trying to keep themselves awake, all except Astrid, whose anger kept her alert... just about. They slumped into the chairs around the table.

"Well, that was productive... all he ever said was 'I didn't have a choice,' and then Astrid took that as him admitting he did kidnap Hiccup and got mad... repeat that and that's pretty good summary of what we did all night." Snotlout commented in a sleepy voice. Silence fell, not even Astrid had the energy to argue. Minutes passed and everyone was drifting off...

"What if Alvin is telling the truth?" Fishlegs asked, giving everyone a scare. Astrid scoffed.

"That's ridiculous! He made a choice to kidnap Hiccup and Thor knows where he is right now!"

"How do you know he made the choice? He's just spent ages locked up with bandits! You don't know what went on in there!" Fishlegs countered, surprisingly alert. Astrid didn't reply. _He actually makes a pretty good point..._

"What would that change though? What if he is telling the truth? Then what?" Snotlout asked with his head resting on the table.

"How about you let me take a different approach on this 'interrogation'?" Fishlegs suggested.

"And what would that approach entail, exactly?" Astrid asked, looking at him with her stern, yet curious eyes.

"I treat his wounds, allow him to feel at home, take off his defensive edge and let him open up on his own accord," Fishlegs replied, confidently. Astrid raised an eyebrow.

"You sure that's going to work?" She asked.

"If he's telling the truth, then most probably. Besides, what else can we do?" Astrid thought over what Fishlegs said, then looked him in the eyes.

"Alright, as long as he is guarded at all times; never leave him unattended. Just in case." She said, then slumped down onto the table. Fishlegs blinked, watching as Astrid fell asleep most suddenly. He looked around at the others, who had fallen asleep during their discussion.

"Okay, I'll get to work," He walked out of the Clubhouse, apparently not at all feeling the fatigue the others did.

"For Hiccup."

~~~

Alvin was awoken by the sound of footsteps walking into the stables. He too had gotten exhausted - and more injuries - from the interrogation and wasn't too happy about it. He looked up, seeing Fishlegs walk in with a crate of... something. Fishlegs looked up, noticing he was being watched. "Good morning, Alvin," He greeted him cheerfully. Alvin growled in reply, suspicious of his behaviour after a whole night of aggressiveness. Fishlegs, regardless, opened up the stall he was kept a prisoner in. Alvin rushed towards him, punching him square in the face as soon as he got the chance. The blonde teenager gave a yelp, flying back a few metres and landing painfully on the crate he had brought in. The wooden lid was knocked off, revealing the contents as Alvin angrily approached. Bandages. Fishlegs had brought a crate of bandages. Alvin stopped, staring at the box. Fishlegs groaned, sitting up and looking at the situation in front of him. "Yeah, I only came to help," He commented timidly. It took a few seconds, but Alvin awkwardly backed down and sat down just outside his cell. Fishlegs got up, jogging over to his crate and picking up a roll. "Now, I know this will hurt a bit, but I just need you to keep still," Alvin nodded and watched sleepily as the teen got to work, starting with the gash on his arm. He felt his eyes droop, and the last thing he felt was Fishlegs pushing him so he lay down, before his eyes closed. 

~~~

Next thing he knew, his eyes fluttered open. The sun hung directly over them, indicating that it was midday. He lay on the wooden floorboards of the stables, bandages decorated his body here and there and he felt no pain-

Wait... no pain?

Alvin grunted, sitting up and glancing over himself. His gashes and cuts had been disinfected and bandaged up, his broken ribs in a tight, stiff dressing and his bruises coated in some kind of painkilling liquid. He heard whistling and looked up to see Fishlegs sitting a few metres away from him, working on some journal. The teenager noticed he was watching him and looked up.

"Good afternoon, welcome back. Hope I didn't disturb your sleep. You feeling okay?"

"Eh... yes, I'm fine. Uh... thanks," Alvin replied, still not sure what to think of this friendliness.

"Good," Fishlegs nodded. "Do you feel well enough to take a tour around the Edge? I don't think you've seen our base yet. I mean you've had a pretty good look at the stables..." He didn't finish his sentence and looked at the ground awkwardly.

"Why are ya doin' this?" Alvin narrowed his eyes. Fishlegs blinked.

"To make up for uh... the violence yesterday. It was driven by worry and anger, we shouldn't have done it. It's just not how things should be done. We have no idea what happened to you while you were locked up, even I don't, since I can't remember a thing from when I was Thor. So it's only fair that we treat your injuries." Fishlegs replied. Now it was Alvin's turn to blink. "So, how about that tour?" Alvin nodded and the two walked out of the stables to the Clubhouse, the dome, the lookout towers. Then they walked to the huts.

"This is my hut, very serene and peaceful. There's the twins' hut, which is complete opposite quite frankly," The two laughed. "Then there's Snotlout's hut, Astrid's hut, functional and heavily armed, and Hiccup's hut..." Fishlegs fell silent, suddenly remembering why he was doing all this. _Should I ask him about it now? Is it too soon? Vikings are slow to trust... Oh Thor, what do I do?_

"I'm sorry about Hiccup's kidnappin'," Alvin started, sighing. "In one aspect I really didn't 'ave a choice, but... I'll just tell you what happened. It's the bandits... They didn't just keep me locked up, but they tortured me until I took a Viking oath to Odin that if I ever made it out alive, I would hand 'Iccup over to the Dragon Hunters... or else they would destroy Outcast Island. I wasn't thinking straight, I thought I was doin' the right thing by protecting me village..."

"Wait... so Hiccup is with the Dragon Hunters...?" Fishlegs asked, trying to digest all the information he had just been given.

"Oh Thor, this is bad. This is really, really bad."


	5. Chapter 5

" _What?_ " Astrid's yell could be heard throughout the whole of the Edge and any sleeping Vikings would have surely be woken up. Fishlegs and Alvin exchanged glances as Astrid looked at Alvin, almost as if trying to stare him down. "Say it. I want to hear it from your own tongue." Astrid snapped at Alvin, who sighed.

"The bandits tortured me until I swore I would bring 'Iccup to 'em if I ever was rescued or escaped. Told me if I didn't, they would destroy me whole island. So I... 'anded him over to the Dragon Hunters," Alvin said, looking down at the floor, but then back up, straight into Astrid's eyes as he said it.

"What? Hiccup is with the Dragon Hunters?" Came Snotlout's voice from behind Astrid. He stood next to the twins who had all been awoken by Astrid's shout. Alvin nodded to them, then looked back at Astrid, who seemed to be going through many waves of emotions. Her eyes narrowed suspiciously, then widened in shock, then turned to anger, then worry, then guilt. Seconds of silence passed.

"I'm sorry," Astrid muttered, to everyone's surprise. "I'm sorry I was so aggressive to you when you genuinely didn't know where Hiccup was, and you were telling the truth when you said it wasn't your fault. I mean, you could've told us the truth sooner, then maybe I wouldn't have treated you like the enemy, but still, I'm sorry." Alvin nodded.

"It's alright lass, nothing Alvin the Treacherous can't handle. And you're right, I should've told ya, but I was just trying to do the right thing and protect me island." Astrid nodded and genuinely smiled as Alvin placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Um, okay, now you guys are just creeping me out. We still have to find Hiccup. He's still with the Dragon Hunters and Thor knows who their leader is and what they're doing to Hiccup." Snotlout chipped in, still standing next to the twins (who had their mouths hanging open as they watched the exchange between Alvin and Astrid).

"You're right, we need to get Hiccup back." She whistled to Stormfly, which the other Riders took as a cue to call their dragons. They mounted, then Astrid turned to Alvin, hand outstretched.

"You coming, Alvin?" She asked, gesturing for him to take her hand and jump on behind her. Alvin hesitated.

"I'm not so sure about that, lass... You might be better off without me. How could I help, anyway?" Astrid paused, deep in thought. Then, after a few seconds, her face brightened up.

"I think I have just the plan," She smirked out of determination and watched as Alvin nodded and mounted behind her. They would get Hiccup back, she was sure of it.

~~~

He was being dragged again, this time not in and out of consciousness but literally. The first thing he felt as he slowly woke up from his first natural sleep in Thor knows how long, was an iron grip on his arms and his legs bumping carelessly over the wooden floorboards. He heard a quiet groan escape his lips as he felt his head loll to the other side as his captors lead him around a corner. He heard a door creak open, felt his already bruised behind hit the ground and heard the door slam shut. The teen strained to sit up, wishing he could stretch his sore muscles. A dark chuckle echoed in the room as a hand gripped the gag and ripped it. Out of instinct, Hiccup spat out the wad of cloth Alvin had stuffed in his mouth days before and coughed, appreciated the feeling of saliva on his tongue again.

"So... Hiccup," A voice came, not the familiar one he'd heard earlier but a different one, sounding so calm yet brutal that sent shivers down his spine. "Let's not beat around the bush. Where can my Dragon Hunters find Ice Tail Pike?" _Ice Tail Pike? Are they still after that fish? Why?_ Hiccup tried to think of a sassy quip in response, but his brain remained blank, so he opted for answering the question with another question.

"Who are you?" He questioned in a voice that sounded more hoarse than he'd like. He could almost feel the glare of his captor on him.

"That is not of importance-"

"Take off my blindfold," Hiccup interrupted, only to be answered by another dark chuckle.

"And why should I do that?" The unfamiliar voice said, clearly finding Hiccup's attitude amusing. Hiccup remained silent, at a loss for what to say. _Maybe all the knocking on the head has affected my ability to make quick comebacks._

"Just do it, Krogan. The boy probably won't answer any questions until we remove it," He heard the familiar voice say. _Krogan? Who's Krogan? Had he ever met a Krogan?_ He felt a rough hand rip off the blindfold and he blinked, adjusting to the light. When his eyes felt ready, he looked up, only to see that they were in a dimly lit room and both his captors wore hoods which cast shadows over their faces. His face scrunched up in frustration as the unfamiliar man he assumed was Krogan chuckled again in amusement.

"So... back to the question. Where can we find Ice Tail Pike? You of all people would know," Krogan said, in such a tone that Hiccup was sure he was sneering at him. _He's right. I do know... but I won't tell them anything. Not if it will help them hunt dragons._

"Who are you?" He asked, again opting for answering the question with another question. He heard Krogan grunt in frustration and watched as he grumpily approached him. Hiccup forced a fearless mask on his face, being sure not to give his captors any reaction.

"Where can we find Ice Tail Pike?" Krogan whispered to his face, his tone challenging him to not answer. Hiccup took a deep breath in, forcing himself to raise an eyebrow in reply. Krogan withdrew, growling in irritation. "We'll have to use more violent means of interrogation, then, won't we." Hiccup's breathing hitched and his fearless mask fell just enough for Krogan to see him wince. Hiccup expected a lot of things at that moment: a branding iron, manacles, a knife or any other Viking weapon.

He just hadn't expected a knock on the head from behind him that sent him slumped on the floor in front of his captors, unconscious and vulnerable.


	6. Chapter 6

_"If you're in pain, get used to it. It's only fun if you get a scar out of it."_ That was how the Viking saying went. Simple, but not at all surprising if you think about what the Viking lifestyle was like. It hadn't crossed Hiccup's mind at all since he befriended Toothless.

_**Crack!** _

But his brain decided that this moment was the right moment to bring it up and try to apply it to the situation at hand.

_**Crack!** _

He guessed that indicated just how desperate he was.

_**Crack!** _

And he was desperate.

_**Crack!** _

And even though it hadn't crossed his mind for 4 years, he had still always believed it.

_**Crack!** _

Until he had woken up shirtless, chained to the wall with a whip to his back.

_**Crack!** _

And now he was coming to the slow and painful realisation that maybe he couldn't ever get used to this pain.

The whip hit his back again, sending yet another searing jolt of pain through his body. Saying that it felt like his back was on fire, that the skin and flesh were sizzling away at the mercy of his captors, was a complete and utter understatement. He could physically feel the metal tip scraping and tearing his skin, feel the blood trickling down his back, and was quite honestly surprised he hadn't passed out yet. All he knew at that moment was one thing: he just wanted to curl up into a ball and sleep, numbing the pain even if it was only temporary.

Because anything was better than what he felt now.  
Shame Krogan had other plans.

"WHERE IS THE ICE TAIL PIKE?" Krogan shouted, before cracking the whip again. Hiccup could hear the anger seething off him, and he was pretty sure that if his back wasn't turned to him, if the hood didn't conceal his face, and if the room wasn't almost pitch black, he would be able to see that he was bright red and steaming. Krogan was clearly taking his anger out on his prisoner; he wanted answers and he wanted them now. But Hiccup was determined not to be of any help to the Dragon Hunters. Not willingly at least.

Despite not getting an answer to his question, Krogan stopped inflicting pain on Hiccup for a moment as footsteps echoed on the floor. He heard a quiet exchange that involved the familiar voice and Krogan, who was so angry he was struggling to keep his voice down. But Hiccup couldn't hear a word they were saying and opted for appreciating the fact that he wasn't being whipped at the moment, that he could focus on his breathing undisturbed, even if only temporarily. _Breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out, stay calm, breathe in, breathe out._ He'd been saying that to himself a lot lately, and he had made up his mind that he would never ever take breathing normally for granted again. Because right now every breath was shuddery, shallow and excruciatingly painful, almost as bad as the whipping itself.

The quiet exchange stopped, footsteps approached and Hiccup couldn't help but tense up as the room echoed with a noise other than his own breathing.

"Krogan's questions don't seem to be clear enough for you, so let me rephrase it for you. Where on the map can Ice Tail Pike be found apart from Outcast Island?" The familiar voice boomed in his ears. Hiccup opened his mouth to make a sassy comeback, but his lungs screamed so loudly all he could do was grunt quietly.

_**Crack!** _

Hiccup bit his lip so hard he drew blood, determined not to scream and give his captors the pleasure of seeing him in pain.

"Do I have to remind you that your loyal friends aren't coming to save you this time? They have no idea where you are, or how to get to you, let alone how to rescue you." He'd heard a lot of comments like that for the past Thor knows how long. But this time, something was different. It wasn't Krogan this time, it was the familiar voice again, the one he couldn't place the whole time he had been in captivity.

Until now.

Because this sentence reminded him a lot of what another villain had said to him a while back. Before the Riders stole the Dragon Hunters' gold, before Ryker turned on his brother and caused chaos, before the mastermind leader of the Hunters fell into a volcano.

And it clicked. Viggo.

_What? How? How is he alive? How did he survive falling into the volcano? You can't survive that... can you...?_

_**Crack!** _

And suddenly, as if that thought had been the final straw, Hiccup's already slumped figure collapsed to the ground.

~~~

_Water. All around him was water. Above, below, and on either side of him. There was no escape. He had held his breath until now, refusing the water access into his body. But his strength was weakening, and all at once, the reflex to gasp for air overtook him and he felt salty water surge into his throat and fill his lungs. His chest ached, his throat stung and the only thought his mind was capable of was air, air, air. His vision swirled, everything became a murky pattern of blue and green, when suddenly a rush of adrenaline filled him._

Hiccup's eyes flew open and he sat up out of reflex, only to be pulled down again straight away by the chains that held him to the wall. Ignoring the pain and nausea caused by his head's latest encounter with the floor, he rolled over and regurgitated a mix of water from his lungs and bile from his empty stomach. He wheezed, trying to steady his breath, before rolling onto his side, already feeling exhausted though he'd only been conscious for mere minutes. The dreaded dark chuckle echoed through his cell and he looked up to see Krogan holding a now empty can of water.

"That did the trick. You passed out before we'd finished our _session_ ," Krogan sneered, emphasising the last word in a sickly sweet manner. He then picked up the whip. "Now get back on your knees before I lose my patience and decide to whip your face!" Hiccup grunted, not liking the idea of moving, let alone feeling the burning sensation of the whip against his back again. The wounds felt bad enough without being reopened and joined by new wounds. "NOW!" Realising that he was probably better off cooperating, Hiccup placed his hands on the floor and pushed himself onto his hands and knees, back to Krogan and facing the cold wall. He breathed in and out, trying to brace himself for the pain.

_**Crack!** _

Hiccup found himself biting his lip again in an attempt to stop the scream that rose from his throat. _Breathe in, breathe out._

"There's no use hiding, I can see you're in pain. Maybe I'll drop the whip if you tell me where we can find Ice Tail Pike..." Krogan said, surprisingly calm. But the calmness disappeared as soon as he watched Hiccup shake his head once again. The teenager heard him growl in frustration and he winced in anticipation for the next crack of the whip, but instead, he heard Viggo speaking.

"Now, now, Krogan. Can't you see it's almost night? You've been at this all day, but you have to understand that sometimes it takes a while for prisoners to break." Viggo's calm voice echoed through the room. He heard Krogan drop the whip onto the ground then whisper into his ear:

"This isn't over yet, boy," Then the footsteps faded away, leaving Hiccup to breathe a sigh of relief that he'd only received one blow from that wretched weapon. He slumped back down onto his side, which was the most comfortable position he had found up to this point. For the first time since the start of his interrogation, he looked at his surroundings. He was no longer in Krogan and Viggo's office, but in a dark cell with one small window and one solid door. The room was bigger than he had expected, and chains with manacles lined the walls, so Hiccup assumed that this cell had been used to previously hold at least 5 prisoners. He shuddered at the thought, deciding not the look at this horrid place anymore but try and get some rest. _Breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out, ignore the pain, the pain doesn't exist, breathe in, breathe out._ Soon enough, exhaustion took over and he felt his eyelids giving in to the will of gravity.

Until he heard his cell door creak open.

_No, no, no, it can't be morning already! Leave me alone!_ He screamed in his mind, bringing his hands up to his eyes, not daring to look at who had entered.

"'Iccup," He heard a familiar voice whisper, causing him to look up in shock. His eyes widened in horror, because there, kneeling down in front of him, was Alvin the Treacherous. But not only Alvin the Treacherous, but Alvin the Treacherous dressed in Dragon Hunter uniform. Hiccup could only stare for a few seconds, but as quickly as the shock came, it went and was replaced by a death glare.

"Have you come to whip me too, Alvin? To interrogate me? To force me to my knees so I can feel the pain again? To tell me that my friends aren't coming for me, that I have no rescue coming? That I might as well give in now? Well, it's not happening. You won't hear any information on that stupid fish from me." Hiccup blurted out, angrily.

"No," Alvin whispered, almost tenderly (or as tenderly as a man like that could get). He reached towards Hiccup's manacles, slotted a key into the keyhole and turned. Hiccup stared at his now freed hands, then back up at Alvin.

"Why are you doing this?" Hiccup raised his voice slightly, his eyes now narrowed suspiciously. Suddenly, Alvin gripped Hiccup's wrists and shoved them back into the manacles.

"Don't you dare try to escape again," Alvin growled loudly. Hiccup looked at him, utterly confused. _What is he doing? One moment he releases my wrists, and the next he tells me to stop escaping._ Silence fell between them, and it was then Hiccup heard footsteps getting quieter and quieter. He looked at Alvin, his expression asking what the heck was going on.

"Alright, boy. I know ya don't want to trust me, and I know I don't really deserve yer trust after I 'anded you over to the Hunters. But I'm with yer friends, we're tryin' to rescue you. They couldn't get in 'ere without being recognised, so I decided to 'elp. I may act like a Hunter at times, but if I don't, I'll get discovered. That's why I told you not to escape, otherwise, the Hunter that walked past would 'ave seen me. Got it?" Alvin whispered, still holding Hiccup's wrists in the manacles. Hiccup paused, not sure whether to believe him or not. _I don't have any other way to escape... why else would he be releasing me...? But he did hand me over to the Hunters in the first place, what if this is all a scheme? But what if he genuinely is helping the others rescue me...? What do I have to lose?_ He looked back up at Alvin, who seemed to be waiting patiently for him to make up his mind.

"Please 'Iccup, let me make it up to ya. For real this time." Alvin let go of his wrists to emphasise his point, then stood up and peeked through the door. "Coast is clear when you're ready," Hiccup grunted, forcing himself to his feet. He took a deep breath in, and out again. Then walked slowly over to the door, trying his hardest not to wince at every step as his torn back screamed in protest. Alvin held the door open for him as Hiccup walked past him. The Outcast chief gasped, finally able to see the whip wounds that plagued him.

"We need to get those wounds bandaged up. And fast." Hiccup heard Alvin say. He managed a nod in reply. "This way," Alvin whispered, leading him down the dark corridor as they both prayed they would go unseen.

Because both of them knew they couldn't afford to lose a moment of time.


	7. Chapter 7

_So far, so good. So far, so good._ Hiccup had been repeating this in his mind ever since he and Alvin left his cell. They now walked down corridors and corridors of cages, lined with dragon-proof bars. Some of them empty, some of them with dragon occupants and others with only scattered bones in. Hiccup resisted the urge to shudder, knowing that doing so would cause so much pain he would scream and alert all the guards in the base that he was escaping. They were finally reaching the end of the main corridor, meaning they would turn the corner and reach the locked doors that stopped escapees from leaving. He watched as Alvin slowly pulled the ring of keys he had stolen out of his belt, then handed them to him.

"You go first. At least that means that we can make a fake re-capture more believable if we come across guards," Alvin muttered. Hiccup nodded, walking past the Outcast leader. He was sure his movements his movements were ridiculously robotic, as he tried to move his back as little as possible. His hands moved slowly around the keys, trying not to let the pieces of metal hit each other. He finally found one that looked like it would fit and slotted it in, cautiously turning it. _Oh gods, I'm shaking... I'm really really shaking. Must be the nerves and the pain..._

The door clicked and began to creak as it opened, causing Hiccup to wince. He immediately regretted it as the movement caused a surge of pain through his entire body and he felt ready to scream. _Don't scream, don't scream, don't scream._ A quiet moan escaped his lips as he opened his eyes and peered through the door, realising almost immediately that he was doomed. Lining the corridor, one every few metres were guards. They stood in front of dragon-proof cells, exactly the same as they had just passed, except every single one of these contained a sorrowful Singetail. He looked at the dragons, noting how thin they looked. _They must be starved... argh those Hunters_. 

He felt a cautious tap on the shoulder and turned to see Alvin nodding at him encouragingly. _This is a side of him I've never seen before._ He took a step forward, telling himself he could think about that later. He took another step, too engaged in trying to walk painlessly that he didn't notice that he had no idea why Alvin was telling him to walk through a corridor of guards. Had he been less distracted he would immediately have been doubtful of the Outcast leader's apparent plan. But instead, we walked on, silently, slowly but surely walking towards the guards.

Until he hit a creaky floorboard.

And every guard whipped his head to face the teen. _Oh, the gods must hate me._ He watched, frozen, as they picked up their weapons and ran towards him. He then dashed forward, powered by a surge of adrenaline that dulled his pain, dodging the maces and axes that came close to slicing through his limbs. He had reached halfway through the corridor, when an unseen force pushed him forward. Next thing he knew, he was lying on his stomach, left arm pinned to his back. He looked behind to see Alvin, who was faking an angry facial expression.

"Struggle," He heard his attacker whisper in his ear, just loud enough so only he could hear. Hiccup obeyed, kicking his legs while trying to writhe his arms out of Alvin's grip. "Struggle harder," Came the whisper from above him again. He was becoming exhausted, and he couldn't see what was going around him, but a part of his brain forced him to trust Alvin. So, with another surge of anaesthetic adrenaline, he pulled his arm out of the Outcast chief's hold and tried to push off the weight that held him down. Only then he felt something hard collided with the side of his head. Everything around him swirled into a mix of colours that slowly turned darker.

"Don't worry, lads, I've got 'im," He heard Alvin say, though it sounded slurred. And the last thing he registered before passing out was being picked up and slung over someone's shoulder.

~~~

It wasn't going exactly to plan, but they were making progress. That corridor had been easy to get through once Alvin was in Dragon Hunter uniform, but his mind had failed to realise that a shirtless one-legged teenager, that happened to be well known as an enemy among the guards, would be a bit harder to smuggle through. He had been immensely relieved when Hiccup got a surge of apparently pain-killing adrenaline and made a beeline for the door on the other side of the dreaded passage. It had made it so much easier to act like he was pursuing and re-capturing him, though soon after taking him down, he realised that it would be easier to get the escapee through when he was unconscious. So, though he deeply regretted how familiar the act felt, he'd knocked him on the head... maybe a little hard. After that, he reassured the other guards that he would take Hiccup to Krogan. Only he hadn't realised how true that statement would be.

He now stood in front of the Dragon Hunter leader, who seemed to be a lot more suspicious of Alvin than he would have hoped.

"What are you doing with my prisoner?" Krogan growled, looking from the limp figure in his arms, back up to him. Alvin opened his mouth to speak, when another voice beat him to it.

"He's not yours. I brought him here," Viggo's voice came from beside him. Alvin dodged the door that flung open as Viggo walked into the corridor. His eyes fell on the Outcast holding Hiccup and his mouth fell open. "What is going on here?" He asked, looking Alvin up and down before looking questioningly at his co-leader. Krogan shrugged angrily and nodded in Alvin's direction, whose mind was whirring as he tried to think of a way out; and one that minimalised Hiccup's injury. _If I keep up this act that Hiccup got away and I re-captured him, Krogan'll take him back to his cell and continue whippin' him... If I run, I 'ave these two in front of me and a corridor of guards behind me... If I reveal my identity, they'll attack me and Hiccup and may keep their word and attack me island... If I just attack 'em now... I could get away with it with Hiccup and I in one piece..._

And without a second's delay or a moment for an explanation, he grabbed his axe with his free hand and ran towards them. Both leaders exchanged a surprised glance before reaching to grab their own weapons, only for Krogan to find himself unarmed. He growled in frustration, clenched his fist and came at Alvin for a counterattack. The Outcast chief dodged the first punch, then swung his axe towards his opponent's side. Krogan dodged, though stumbled slightly. Once having regained his balance, he threw a punch aimed at Alvin's face, only for his fist to meet hard metal. He let out a shout, face contorted in pain as he shook the hand that had just come in contact with Alvin's axe. Alvin chuckled before swinging the flat side of the axe to Krogan's head, rendering him to unconsciousness on the floor. He glanced down at the teen in his arms, and after a few seconds of ambivalence, he laid Hiccup down on his stomach, enabling him to use both hands to take on Viggo, who appeared to be patiently waiting for Alvin to be ready.

"You think you're very noble, don't ya?" Alvin commented, while letting his axe meet Viggo's sword. The two weapons squeaked against each other, causing sparks to fly in every direction. Viggo smirked.

"That's one way to put it. I consider myself a businessman, not a backstabber or someone who would deliberately make a fight unfair," Alvin frowned at the answer he received.

"You're not as noble as you think," He muttered, spinning around so Viggo stumbled forward just as Alvin brought his axe down again. Viggo sidestepped away from the blow, before returning one of his own. The sword skimmed his arm, just enough to draw blood but nothing more. Alvin growled before continuing. "Torturing your prisoners for hours on end to make them break is not noble," Viggo chuckled, sword up defensively as he waited for Alvin's parry. Alvin darted towards him, axe swiping through the air where Viggo's sword was in an attempt to disarm him. Viggo spotted this and ducked, leaving Alvin stumbling around in a circle. Viggo took the opportunity to kick him in the stomach, sending him falling onto his back. Alvin panted, looking up at Viggo, who now used his foot to put pressure on his chest.

"Does it ever really matter, Alvin?" Viggo sneered, swinging his sword down so it was millimetres away from his neck. Alvin scowled back. "If you win, there's no one to contradict you on whether or not you are noble."

"That depends on the way you win, Viggo. Mass killing and putting others in harm's way to keep you safe is never noble, whether you win or not," Alvin argued, though a voice in the back of his mind asked him why he was talking instead of struggling. _This isn't like me..._ Viggo laughed cruelly, almost as if standing on top of the Outcast chief gave him a kick.

"Those are going to make for poor last words," Viggo chuckled, raising the sword ready to make the killing blow. "Especially for someone named Alvin the Treacherous," Alvin stared at Viggo, not hesitating to follow the Outcast tradition where you stare down your enemies before they kill you. The two locked eyes as Viggo held his sword above Alvin's neck, his smirk growing exponentially. Alvin waited for the blow, never once feeling fear. He was a Viking, and he was dying heroicly while saving the boy who had saved him. He just hoped the other Riders would realise that it was taking him a long time and ride in to save Hiccup in time-

_**Whack!** _

A loud noise brought him out of his thoughts and he looked up to see Hiccup, holding Alvin's axe and watching as Viggo collapsed. Alvin immediately stood up, checking that his attacker was unconscious before looking at Hiccup.

"Thought you could use a hand," He laughed giddily. "I've been wanting to do that for a long time." His smile turned into a frown as his adrenaline faded and the pain kicked in. And Alvin only watched in surprise as Hiccup let out a loud moan before collapsing to the floor.


	8. Chapter 8

The room swirled. Everything was a mass of greens and blacks and browns. His back screamed in pain, so much so that he felt he was about to pass out again. Any sensible person would have laid on the floor and waited until they felt well enough to get up. But Hiccup plus curiosity did not always equal a sensible person. So, straining with all his might to not scream in pain or fall unconscious, he pushed himself up and looked around him.

"...Mass killing and putting others in harm's way to keep yourself safe is never noble, whether you win or not," He heard Alvin's voice from in front of him. Hiccup blinked, trying to focus on what was going on. And after a few seconds, he saw. Alvin was laying on the floor, wheezing slightly while blood trickled down his arm. Viggo stood over him, one foot applying pressure to his chest while holding a sword above his neck as if he was about to strike.

"Those are going to make for poor last words," He heard Viggo chuckle, and all of a sudden, as if his brain and muscles woke up, he jumped to his feet. The adrenaline of saving Alvin pumped through his bloodstream, so much that his the screams from his back became mere muffled voices in the back of his mind. He frantically looked around for some kind of weapon, finding Alvin's axe within seconds. "Especially for someone named Alvin the Treacherous," Viggo continued, and immediately, time seemed to slow down. He saw Alvin and Viggo lock eyes, Viggo bringing the sword down to kill him, and almost as if his body was working by itself, he saw himself thwack Viggo on the head with the handle of Alvin's axe. Not fully comprehending what was going on, he watched as Viggo crumbled to the ground, sword falling beside him harmlessly. The realisation hit him and he laughed, looking to Alvin to see his reaction. The Outcast chief looked at him then at Viggo, his expression only showing surprise.

"Thought you could use a hand," He laughed again, slightly delirious. "I've been wanting to do that for a long time." And all at once, just as quickly as it came, the adrenaline left his bloodstream, leaving only searing pain. His back screamed, his mind screamed, but all his mouth did was moan. And all his body did was collapse to the ground.

~~~

Astrid paced the sea stack impatiently. They had been waiting for Alvin to return with Hiccup for an hour now, unable to help except get him the uniform and be ready to get Hiccup to the Edge as soon as they return. And she was worried sick. _What if Alvin got captured too? What if Hiccup is already dead? What if Alvin turned on us and joined the Hunters? What if the Dragon Hunters knew we were going to do this and set up a trap? What if Alvin just killed Hiccup instead of saving him?_

"Um, guys, what if Alvin betrays us and just kills Hiccup?" Asked Tuffnut from the back of his dragon, almost as if he had read Astrid's mind.

"No, he wouldn't do that!" Fishlegs shouted, looking up from the spyglass he used to keep a close eye on the base, ready to catch the first signs of Alvin's return.

"Uuh, why wouldn't he?" Ruffnut asked, her face clearly displaying her confusion.

"He changed, remember? He told us the truth and Astrid convinced him to help us. I'm sure they just got delayed by the Hunters and will be out there any minute. Then we can just swoop down and grab them."

"But what if he didn't change?" Tuffnut questioned. Snotlout sighed loudly.

"There's no point arguing about this, it won't change anything. All I know is if they don't come back within the next five minutes, I'm flying down there to get my cousin out of there." He said, face deadly serious.

"You're right, Snotlout. Everyone mount up and be ready to leave. Either they come to us soon, or we'll go to them," Astrid agreed, beckoning Stormfly and mounting her. Everyone else did the same, Fishlegs continuing to watch the Hunter base from Meatlug's back. Tedious minutes ticked past, causing the twins to yawn, Astrid to growl in frustration and Fishlegs to whimper under the tension he felt. Until...

"There they are! Just coming out of the forest of the forest!" Fishlegs exclaimed, hurriedly putting the spyglass in his pocket. "Come on guys let's-" A gust of wind blew past, alerting him to the fact that the other Riders didn't need any more information and were already leaving. He sighed. "Let's go, girl!" He exclaimed, encouraging her dragon as she took off and caught up with the others.

"Alright guys, here's the plan. Snotlout, you get Alvin," Astrid ordered, Snotlout saluting in reply. "I'll get Hiccup. Fishlegs, Ruff and Tuff, hold off any Hunters. Got it? Let's go," She finished, earning serious nods and salutes from everyone. She focussed once again on the clearing Fishlegs had mentioned, watching for the right moment to dive down there. Stormfly squawked, telling her rider that she was alert and ready, earning her a pat on the head. _Wait for it... wait for it..._ All eyes were on the clearing of the forest, watching for signs of movement. There! There, just coming into the clearing nearing the edge of the cliff, was Alvin.

"Where's Hiccup?" Tuff asked as all of them dived down towards him. They scanned the scene.

"There! In Alvin's arms!" Snotlout shouted, before Hookfang and Stormfly split off from the rest of the group to execute their rescue plan. It all went surprisingly quickly, Astrid pulling Hiccup into her arms as Stormfly passed and Hookfang grabbing Alvin with his claws just as pursuing Hunters immerged from the forest. The twins and Fishlegs scared them away and they flew off towards the Edge. Astrid looked down at her boyfriend, noticing how pale he looked, and even unconscious his expression was contorted with pain.

"Ya might wanna take a look at his back. It didn't look too good last time I saw it," Alvin said once Hookfang had flung him up onto his back. Astrid looked up at him, catching the worry in his expression. She gently turned Hiccup over, almost too scared to look.

But it was too late to unsee what she saw next. His back was covered in bloody gashes, where the skin had been heartlessly ripped open and left to get infected. She grimaced at the sight of it all, the puss that seemed to be spreading around the edge of the wounds. Her mouth hung open.

"Guys, change courses. We're going to Berk. Gothi is the only one who can help us with this," She ordered, her eyes not leaving the frail body of her lover. They steered their dragons south, then set off for the long journey. Astrid closed her eyes, feeling tears threaten to show themselves. She thought she would be relieved when she got Hiccup back. She thought that would be the end of being worried sick. But now, she was plagued even more.

Because she didn't even know if Hiccup was going to make it out alive.


	9. Chapter 9

It had been a long week for Astrid, one that had gone excruciatingly slow and she remembered every bit of it... although part of her wished she didn't. She remembered when Hiccup woke up when they were almost on Berk. It was not a pretty sight.

_"Is that Berk?" Fishlegs pointed ahead at the dot on the horizon._

_"Finally!" Snotlout exclaimed from where he lay half-asleep on Hookfang's back. "Hookfang's wings are about to drop off. And I've had enough of listening to the twins' snoring." He glanced back at the Hideous Zippleback, who was being ridden by Ruff and Tuff, who, sure enough, were fast asleep. Astrid watched the bickering silently and solemnly, when a noise from below her startled her. She looked down at Hiccup, who tried to toss and turn in her arms. She let him, allowing him to try and get comfortable. Until he yelped in pain. Astrid gasped, the pained shout sending daggers into her heart. She gripped him tighter, trying to stop him hurting himself, but he continued to struggle, moaning and whimpering. All Astrid could do was helplessly watch her boyfriend as tears prickled her eyes. She hated seeing him like this, weak and vulnerable, not at all the Hiccup she knew._

_"Shh, shh, it's alright. I'm here, Astrid's here," She mumbled in his ear, hoping it would put him at more ease. The struggling died down, but he continued to moan and whimper in pain. Astrid wished more than ever that they would get to Berk quickly, too worried about the teenager in her arms to realise that tears were openly streaming down her cheeks. "It's alright, everything's going to be alright," She whispered to Hiccup, though part of her knew she was also saying it to herself, because she didn't really know whether or not it would all be alright..._

Astrid closed her eyes, hating herself for bringing back the memories, not caring about the lone tear that escaped her eye. She remembered the stitches, gods that was heartbreaking. The horror of Gothi's news, that they would need to hold him down while Gothi threaded the skin of the wounds together if he were to survive. She had already seen Hiccup's reaction to the disinfectant Gothi had smeared onto the wounds and she could tell it stung - badly. She couldn't imagine what it would feel like to feel a needle pierce your skin over and over and over... But she was pretty sure it hurt more to see Hiccup experience it than it would to experience it herself.

_"Stoick, hold his shoulders. Astrid, hold his legs. Snotlout, hold his arms down." Gobber translated Gothi's orders that were scribbled into the pile of sand on the ground. Astrid nodded silently, not able to take her eyes off her boyfriend. His back looked terrible, absolutely horrid. Even now the infection had left, blood still slowly oozed out of the gashes, leaving red trails all over. There was not an unharmed area of skin anywhere on his back. She walked over to Hiccup's legs, finding her grip around his ankles as she watched Gothi prepare the needle and thread. Stoick and Snotlout also took their positions, looking just as sad and solemn as she felt. It was hard for all of them, but she couldn't help feel sorry for Stoick. This was his son, the one he had ignored for years before Toothless came into the picture. The father-son relationship had built up over the three and a half years that Hiccup had trained dragons on Berk, until he left with the other Riders to go to the Edge. And now they had brought him back, tortured and in pain. And they all had to watch him suffer._

_Astrid was alerted to Gothi's start by the first scream of pain. She looked up to see Hiccup's face contorted in pain as he tried to wriggle out of their grip. She pressed down on his ankles, trying as much as possible to not break down into tears. She glanced at Gothi, who was concentrating on the job at hand; at Stoick, whose puffy red eyes gave away the emotions he tried to hide; to Snotlout, who looked more solemn than she had ever seen him. Stitch after stitch, pained shout after pained shout, Astrid realised with a sharp pang in her heart that this would be a long, tear-filled hour._

Astrid wiped her eyes, trying to get her emotions under control. She was Astrid Hofferson, she wasn't supposed to cry over a boy in pain. They were Vikings, Vikings live with pain, not cry over it. _But this is different_ , a voice whispered in the back of her mind. She had to admit, this was different. Never before had the person in so much pain been her boyfriend. She couldn't imagine a world without Hiccup in, he was one of the most important people in her life. Her voice of reason, her comforter when she was feeling lonely, her sanity when the other Riders drove her nuts. And the person who knew the most about her. Gods, she was in love. Her mind then wandered to her conversation with Stoick the day after the turmoil at Gothi's.

_"Astrid! Can I have a word with you, lass?" Stoick called out to her as she walked past his house to get to her own. Astrid looked up in surprise but nodded anyway. She gestured for Stormfly to go to her hut alone, while she followed the Berkian chief into the house. Toothless sat in the corner, purring sadly. He hadn't been allowed to see his rider since they had come back, for fear that he would jump all over him in excitement. Of course, the Night Fury wasn't exactly happy about this and tried as much as he could to find his way to Gothi's hut without Stoick seeing him. But the chief had been very careful, catching the dragon every time he had made a beeline for the door. Astrid walked over to pat the dragon, who greeted her with a sad purr. She then sat at the table opposite Hiccup's father, looking him over quickly. His eyes were still puffy and reddened from crying, but she could see he was trying to compose himself for business._

_"So... first of all, I'd like to apologise for my rage when you arrived with my son. It's not your fault he got tortured by the Dragon Hunters and-" Stoick started, looking Astrid right in the eyes._

_"You don't have to apologise, chief. Hiccup gave us all a scare with his injuries and you shouldn't blame yourself for the shock you went through." Astrid countered, voice surprisingly clear and confident. Stoick blinked, then smiled slightly._

_"Alright. Then let me apologise for the fact that you won't be allowed to see Hiccup for another five days. Gothi has him in intense medical care while his body works on healing. She says he needs all the energy he can get and only family is allowed in her hut until he can come back home. And I know that you two are betrothed, but you're not married yet. I'm sorry." Stoick replied, the smile now gone. Astrid swallowed, taking in the news. No seeing Hiccup for five more days? That was going to be hard. But then again, it was for Hiccup's benefit. She sighed, nodding slowly. Stoick gave her a sad smile in return._

_"Thank you for understanding. Now, what I was going to talk to you about was the Dragon Hunters. Gothi allowed me to have a five-minute conversation with Hiccup this morning. I wanted to ask him about who the leader of the Dragon Hunters is, since I can't ask Alvin because he needed to get back to Outcast Island as soon as possible. But he doesn't remember. It must be the shock, or he got knocked on the head. He remembers everything else very clearly, only he can't recall who was whipping him." Stoick paused, wanting to see Astrid's reaction. "Viggo is dead, isn't he?"_

_"He fell into a volcano, sir, there's no way he survived that," Astrid said. "There must be someone else leading them."_

_"And you didn't see them?"_

_"No. The plan was that Alvin would enter the base disguised as a Hunter and rescue Hiccup. The other Riders and I were waiting on the sea stack, as there was no way we could get into that fortress without getting caught. They've improved it quite a bit since Viggo was leading." Astrid replied, face stern. Stoick sighed. "I know you want to find out who did this to Hiccup just as much as I do. But they will come for us eventually, and then we'll find out who the leader is and show them no mercy." Another small smile lit up Stoick's face as he nodded, almost as if mentally shaking hands in agreement. They would make the leader pay. Even if it was the last thing they did._

Astrid smiled slightly at the memory of that conversation. She would never admit it, but she was almost excited to have Stoick as a father-in-law. Her mind wandered back to what happened after the conversation and her smile faded... because she had not enjoyed the five days without Hiccup. She had filled the time with trying to keep the twins under control, listening to Fishlegs trying to figure out who the leader of the Dragon Hunters is, putting up with Snotlout hitting on her and then throwing axes at trees and training with Stormfly to blow off steam. But she was relieved that Hiccup had been sent back to the Haddock house yesterday evening and she was finally allowed to see him. Thank Thor he had survived that ordeal.

"Land down there, Stormfly," She told her dragon as they approached the chief's house. The Deadly Nadder obeyed, squawking as her talons hit the ground. "Thanks, girl, you rest out here," She patted her dragon fondly before cautiously opening the door to the house. Stoick spotted her straight away.

"Ah, Astrid. I knew you'd pop in now that Hiccup's back. You can head upstairs, though I think he's sleeping." The chief told her, looking up from his woodwork. His eyes were no longer red and puffy and Astrid could tell he was in a much better mood than he had been earlier that week.

"Thanks, chief," She smiled before heading up the stairs. The first thing she saw was Toothless, the happy Night Fury had been resting his head on his rider until Astrid had entered, and now he bounded up to her excitedly. The shieldmaiden couldn't help but laugh at the dragon as she patted him and accepted the joyful licks she received. Toothless then backed away, knowing that she had come up the stairs to see her boyfriend. Hiccup lay on this bed, on his back for the first time that week, eyes closed and breathing deeply. Astrid couldn't help but beam at her boyfriend, because just the sight of Hiccup breathing normally and sleeping peacefully gave her joy. She knelt down beside his bed, taking his hand in her own and stroking it lovingly. _He's healing quickly, I'll give him that._ She thought as her eyes ran over his body, from his ever messy hair to his bandaged back to... wait. Her eyes stopped at his stomach, noticing for the first time how defined his abs were. She must not have noticed them through all the relief of getting him back and the shock of seeing his whip wounds... but boy, did they look good. Perfectly emphasised, but not too much- _Astrid, stop it! You're not supposed to think like that! You're a Viking warrior, not a helpless lover that is amazed at the sight of her shirtless boyfriend..._ But she couldn't keep her eyes off it.

"Surprised?" Came Hiccup's voice. She looked up in surprise, jumping slightly. He grinned a dorky smile at her, then looked down at his stomach. And to Astrid's utter horror, she realised she had been tracing his abs lightly with her fingers. She quickly withdrew her hand, feeling the blood rush to her cheeks, but Hiccup only laughed light-heartedly.  
"Being a blacksmith's apprentice does do that do you. Plus all the inventing and fighting Dragon Hunters..." He paused, noticing Astrid's flushed face. "Hey, don't be embarrassed. I'd want to touch you as well if you were shirtless," He chuckled to himself, then stopped and went bright red, realising what he had said. Astrid burst out in laughter at the change of expression, and after a few seconds, Hiccup joined her in laughter. Boy, it felt good for them both to laugh together again.

"All in good time, Hiccup," Astrid grinned. The two shared a moment where they both just beamed at each other, relieved that they could finally be in each other's presence again.

"Kiss me," Hiccup said suddenly, looking serious. Astrid's face fell in surprise.

"What?"

"Kiss me. I would kiss you myself but I'm practically tied to the bed by the condition of my back." He said, giving his girlfriend another cheesy grin. Astrid burst out laughing again.

"Oh, you dork," Astrid muttered under her breath, leaning closer to Hiccup so that their lips pressed together. Their lips closed over each other, both of them relishing the taste of the other.

"Come closer," Hiccup pulled away to whisper. Astrid hesitated, before swinging her leg over his body so she sat on his stomach with her legs spread either side.

"Sure I'm not hurting you?" Astrid asked, doubting whether or not she should let her full weight rest on him.

"I'm fine, the wounds are already healing and Gothi drugged me with loads of pain-killers so-" Hiccup replied, not finishing his sentence as he grabbed Astrid's waist and pulled her closer. She gratefully covered his lips with hers, kissing him once again. Her fingers drifted from his hair to his neck, where she found herself caressing and kneading the skin. Hiccup's hands trailed up and down Astrid's waist as he turned his head slightly, deepening the kiss as her tongue ventured into his mouth. Minutes passed and their lips were still locked, until Hiccup felt something cold and wet hit his face. He pulled away in surprise, looking up to see Astrid tearful and breathless.

"What's wrong?" He asked, finding himself out of breath too. Astrid sniffed, wiping a tear from her face before looking into her boyfriend's emerald eyes.

"I thought I'd lost you, Hiccup. When I saw your back, I wondered whether you'd make it out again. Whether I'd ever see your smile again, hear your laugh again, or," She paused in hesitation. "Or whether I'd ever taste your kisses again." Hiccup gave her a sad smile, reaching up to gently wipe away another tear that wandered astray.

"I wondered the same thing," He whispered, feeling a tear prickle in his eye too. But before he could say anything else, she pulled him into a heartfelt hug as the tears streamed from her face and wet the pillow below them. Hiccup wrapped his arms around her tightly, whispering comforting words as he caressed her back. The embrace lasted minutes, as Astrid's tears slowly dried and her hold on him slowly released. She pulled away to smile at him.

"Wanna taste it again?" Hiccup whispered, suddenly feeling tempted by her lush lips again. Astrid leaned in slowly, teasing him with a small grin.

"Gods yes," She whispered, her heart fluttering.

And her lips crashed into his once again.


End file.
